Gripper-mechanism.



D. ASHTON.

GRIPPER MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED 111111, a, 1911.

Patented June 25,1912.

\M/ Twas i559 2% L? AW? .pairs of gripper jaws connected to a com- GRRELL ASHTON, OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

intern re rar GRIPPERMECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. llfatentedl June 25, .1912. Dividcd and this application filed March 9,

flriginal application filed August 2, 1907, Serial No. 386,799.

1911. Serial No. 613,325.

a connection between the two pairs of gripping aws and their common actuator .hy

winch the rear-pair of aws inay he given the required greater range'of pulling morelf'o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, (human Asn'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Gripper Mechanisms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a. specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like .parts in the several. figures. .-'l-his invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and particularly to mechanism for Working an upper over a last.

The invention herein shown as embodied in the upper pulling and holding n'zechanism of a pulling-over machine of the type shown in United States Letters Patent No. (363,777, granted on the application of Ronald F. MeFcely, but the invention is applicable also to other machines. j

the invention is 'ard pair of jaws.

To this end a-feature of the invention consists in a grippers mechanism ing a plurality of. pairs of jaws nection between the pairs of jaws and a single actuator which will insure a. greater n'iovement to one pair of jaws than to the other pair. Preferably the conngwtion will he arranged to insure a. n'edetermined eX- tent of relative movement of the two pairs of jaws. This connection may include an adjustahlo' member by which the extent of the relative morei'iient may he varied. in the emhodiment shown the rear jaws are arranged to begin their morcn'ient in advance ol' the forward jaws and to continue thr ugh a. predetermined distance before the forward jaws are similarly lifted. To this end the rear jaws are connected with a lifting har which has a lost motion connection with the forward jaws' and through which the two pairs of jaws are moved together during the latter part of the pulling movement of the gripper mechanism. Also in the embodiment of the invention shown the two pairs of gripper jaws are closed successively so that. the rear jaws seize the upper and initially or partially pull it into the usual depressed portion of the upper surface of the last at the hall. Then the forward jaws close and the two pairs of jaws rise together to complete the straining of the upper into (ainforn'iity with the shape of the last.

These and other features of the invention will he more fully explained in the following description and then pointed out in the claims.

The drawings represent a preferred embodiment of the invention applied to a pulling-over machine of substantially the general construction shown in said United States Letters Patent No. (363,777.

Figure l is a side elevation of the grippers partly in section; Fig. 2 is a section comprisand a eon- The mechanism in which herein shown as embodied comprises two arranged to engage ad aeent portions of stock. In he pullingover machine of which this illustrated mechanism forms a part one pair of gri per j-aws engages one end "of the portion or belt of upper which extends over the hall of the last and the other pair of jaws engages one end of a portion or helt of upper which is located farther forward on the last and includes the toe tip scam in shoes which lnn 'c a toe tip. This latter belt of upper is shorter than the former, and in an upper loosely applied to the last it fits more closely to the last than does the belt at the ball of the shoe, because lasts are usually so formed that the upper has to be drawn down coi'lsiderahly to conform to the contour of the last over the ball. F or these reasons, and because the toe tip seam, if one is present in the upper, renders the belt (if upper engaged by the forward gripper jaws less elastic'than that engaged by the rear gripper jaws, the rear jaws require to have a greater range of pulling movement than do the forward jaws.

One object of the invention is to provide mon actuator and l ment without liability of excessively strainv j mg the belt of stoeh engaged hy the for fit on line 6-4. of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is a section 'on line S-S of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modification taken in the same plane as Fig. 2.

The fram'e 2, which may be the frame of the pulling-over machine shown in said Letters Patent N Q. 663,777, supports levers 4 that are fulcrumed at 5 and from which are suspended bars 6. There are in the machine setsof grippers for engaging the upper at; opposite sides of the last which is held from displacement by'a sole rest while the upper is being pulled. A set of these grippers is illustrated in Fig. 1 and comprises a plurality of pairs of jaws connected through casings 8 and 9 with the one operating bar 6. One jaw 10 of each pair of jaws is pivotally connected to its casing while the other jaw 11 of each pair is rigidly attached to the casing which is shaped to receive it between two edge plates 12. the adjacent faces of which may be corrugated to fit similar corrugations on the edges of the jaw. The jaw is clamped between the edge plates by a connecting member 14L, shown best in Fig. 4, which has a conical head fitting a similarly shaped recess in one edge plate. It also has screw threaded engagement with a tapering locking member '15 that is split at 16 so that it will be contracted and locked upon the holding member as it is drawn into its conical recess in the casing.

The construction thus far described is not a part of the present invention.

The gripping faces of each of the jaws It) and 11 are formed by alternate teeth or ribs 20 and plane faces 22 which are so arranged in the assembled grippers that the teeth or ribs on the jaw 10 will he opposed to the plane faces on the jaw 11. and the teeth or ribs on the jaw 11 will bite or in dent the stock against the plane tacos on the jaw 10. The lower tooth or rib 25 of the jaw 10, which engages the outer side of the upper leather, is rounded or blunt so that it will not scrape or scar the upper as the stock pulls out when the jaws release their grip upon theupper. Each casing contains a gripper controller throughwhich the jaw 10 is first rocked to grip the stock and then, when it can rock no farther, the two jaws are uplifted to pull the stock. For this purpose the controller has a. roller 32 which engages the inclined rear face of the upper arm 0t aw 10 as shown in 11g. 2, which is a section through the casing Send the torward pair of aws. The other controller is the same. A cross bar 35 is secured "to the controller for the rear pair of jaws and extends across to the other controller where it is received between ledges 36 on.

the outer side of the controller. The cross bar is notched to provide a narrow portion forming a lost motion connectionwith the controller for the forward jaw. The operating bar has a depending hook 38 which engages the middle portion of the cross bar and through which the controlling devices are lifted for closing and then raising the jaws. By reason of the lost motion connec 'tion the rear jaws are closed and raised to pull the upper about the ball of the last to a predetermined extent before the forward jaws are closed and raised to pull the upper in the region of the toe tip seam. If desired. the extent of the relative movement of the pairs of jaws may be adjustably varied, as. for example. by providing the reduced portion of the cross bar 35 with an adjustable contact member 89, as'shown in Fig. 5. Each of the jaws of the rear pair of aws 10 has a rearward extension, as shown in Fig. 1.,wh1ch presents, with the shank of the jaw an L shape, by which the gripping faces are carried lJflClfiVMflly to a width substantially greater than it is desirable to make the shanks of the jaws.

In the use of the invention in the form in which it is shown as embodied, a shoe is presented with the bottom against the sole rest and the upper between the jaws of the open grippcrs. The operating bars are then raised. The first effect is to close the rear jaws which engage the belt of upper extending about the last at the base of the instep and back of the position of the toe tip seam. As soon as these jaws are closed they are uplifted and pull the upper about this portion 'ot' the last. \Vhen these jaws have moved through a predetermined distance governed by the extent of lost motion between the cross bar 35 and the ledges 36, and have initially pnllcd the upper back of the toe tip seam, then the forward pair of jaws is. closed and thereafter uplifted to pull the upper in the region of the tip seam.

The last supporters of the machine then move inwardly and set the side clamps against the sides of the last below the plane of the last bottom to grip the upper and prevent it from slipping back. .The tack arms next swing inwardly releasing the grippers which retire as the arms advance. The pressers reach the edge of the last after the grippers are released and move over the edge and bottom of the last as the arms swing inwardly, wiping over the upper that was between the pairs of jaws and pressing the upper against the innersole into position to receive the fastening tacks, which are then driven, after which the parts may return to starting position. It will of course be understood that while for the purpose of explanation this invention is here shown as applied to the machine of said Letters Patent No. 663,777 for which it was especially devised, it may also be used in other niachincs.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 386,795), filed August 2., 1907, upon which Letters Patent N o. 1,007,766 was granted, November 7, 1911.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by letters Patent of the United States 1. in a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripper jaws and actuating mechanism for causing the jaws to engage and pull adjacent portions of stock, said actuating mechanism being constructed and ar- "angcd to impart to said jaws predetermined relative movements for pulling the portions of stock engaged by them to ditl'ercnt cxtents.

2. In a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripper jaws for engaging adjacent portions of stock, and an actuating mechanism common to said pairs of jaws and con structcd and arranged to cause one of said pairs of jaws to be actuated in advance of the other pair for pulling the stock.

In a mechanism of the class described,

pairs of gripper jaws for engaging adjacent portions of stock, and an actuating mecha- .nism common ,to said pairs of and constructed and arranged to insure a predetermined movement of one pair of aws for stretching the stock before the other pair oi' jaws pulls the stock.

in a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripperjaws for engaging and pulling adjacent portions otstoclr, and actuating mechanism connected with both pairs o1 j aws and constructed and arranged normally to hit one pair of jaws in :nlvance of the other pair.

5. In a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripper jaws for engaging and pulling adjacent portions of stock, and actuatingmechanism connected with both pairs of jaws and constructed and arranged normally to close and lift the pairs oi? jaws successively.

6. In a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripper jaws for engaging adjacent portions of stock and actuating mechanism constructed and arranged to close the pairs of jaws successively and then impart to one of said jaws a pulling movement ditfering to a predetermined extent from. the pulling movement imparted to illu"()ill1' pair. of jaws.

7.'In a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripper jaws for cmln'acing adjacent portions of stocl and actuating mechanism constructed and arrangml to move one pair of jaws through a predetermined distance and then to begin to move the other pair of jaws.

8. In a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripper, jaws for embracing adjacent portions of stock, and actuating.mechanism constructed and arranged to cause in jn'cdeteri'nined order one pair or jaws togrip and partially pull the upper while an adjacent pair of awe remains open and then to close the second pair of jaws and move it with the tirst-mentioned pair.

9. ln a mechanism of the class described, pairs of gripper jaws for engaging adjacent portions of stock, and actuating mechanism comprising a direct (JOHDQCtlOIl with one pair of jaws and a lost mot-ion connection with another pair of jaws.

10. In a machine of the class described, gripper jaws for engaging a portion of upper extending over the ball ot'thc last and gripper jaws for engaging a portion of upper extending over the forward portion of the last in the region of the toe tip scam, combined with actuating mechanism constructed and arranged. to uplift the jaws for straining the upper over the ball of the last before it. is strained by the other gripper jaws.

11. in a machine oi the class described, gripper jaws for engaging and pulling a belt of upper extending about the last in the region of the toe tip seam and gripper. jaws for engaging and pulling a belt of upper cxtending about the last in the rear of the toe tip seam, means for actuating the aws to seize the two belts of upper successively, and means for actuating the rear jaws before the other jaws for straining the upper.

12. In a machine of the class described, the .cmnbination with the operating bar 6 and the gri 'ipcr carriers 8, 9, of two pairs of gripper jaws, the controllers 30 for each pair, and the crossbar 35 secured to one eon troller'and extending across to the other controller and having a lostmotion connec-- tion with said other controller for the pur pose described.

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination with the operating bar 6 and the gripper carriers 8, 9, of two pairs of gripper jaws, the controllers 30 for each pair, and the cross bar 35 secured to one controller and extending across to the other controller and having a lost motion connection with said. other controller for lifting said two pairs of jaws different distances, and the abutment 2. cooperating with the gripper carriers and the operating bar 6 to restore the grippers to predetermined relative vertical positions -For seizing the next upper.

in a machine of the class described, the combination with the operating bar 6 and the gripper carriers 8, 9, of two pairs of gripper jaws, the controllers 30 for each pair, and the cross bar 35 secured'to one controller and extending laterally, ledges 36 on the other controller between which said cross bar is received and an adjustable contact member 39 carried on the cross bar for engaging the ledges.

In testimony whereof I have signed thy name to this specification in the presence of 10 two subscribing Witnesses. ORRELL ASHTON. Witnesses:

ARTHUR A. RUSSELL, ELIZA zETH G. COUPE. 

